Father’s Doing Fine *** (1952, Richard Attenborough, Heather Thatcher, Susan Stephen, Diane Hart, Virginia McKenna, Mary Germaine, George Thorpe, Noel Purcell) – Classic Movie Review 13,580

Heather Thatcher stars as eccentric upper-class widow Lady Buckering, who lives in splendour in Hampstead but is struggling with poverty and bringing up four demanding daughters, in the 1952 British comedy film Father’s Doing Fine.

Director Henry Cass’s 1952 British colour comedy film Father’s Doing Fine is written by Anne Burnaby, based on the stage play Little Lambs Eat Ivy by Noel Langley, and stars Richard Attenborough, Heather Thatcher, Susan Stephen, Diane Hart, Virginia McKenna, Mary Germaine, George Thorpe, and Noel Purcell.

Noel Langley’s popular 50s stage farce Little Lambs Eat Ivy becomes an amusing screwball film about poor, dizzy widowed Lady Buckering (Heather Thatcher), an eccentric upper-class Hampstead widow with financial problems and four demanding problem daughters (Susan Stephen, Diane Hart, Virginia McKenna, Mary Germaine), one of whom, Doreen (Diane Hart), is married to nervous daft young Dougall (Richard Attenborough) and is about to have twins.

The other three daughters are involved in love affairs: Bicky (Susan Stephen), with eccentric student Roly (Peter Hammond); Gerda, married to artist Wilfred (Brian Worth); and Catherine (Virginia McKenna), in love with the landlord’s son, Clifford Magill (Jack Watling). After a series of disasters, Milady Buckering drowns her sorrows in love and marriage with the family doctor, Dr Drew (George Thorpe).

This funny, fast-moving farce is still very stagy, but its breathless pace and energetic, well-timed, if mannered performances by well-dressed actors with posh voices keep it doing fine at all times. Heather Thatcher and George Thorpe give the best, most truthful performances, Jack Watling as Clifford Magill, Peter Hammond as Roly are both good with much less to do, with some of the others (including main star Attenborough) tending to overact to get their laughs, which would obviously work better on stage. Needless to say, but I will, it is well-heeled comedy from another very different era, almost another planet.

Also in the cast are Jack Watling as Clifford Magill, Peter Hammond as Roly, Brian Worth as Wilfred, Sidney James [Sid James] as Taxi Driver, Ambrosine Phillpotts as Nurse Pynegar, Harry Locke as Father in Zoo, Wensley Pithey as Police Constable, and Jonathan Field as Zookeeper.

It was shot at Associated British’s Elstree Studios.

Erwin Hillier’s Technicolor photography has so faded it looks like the film has been colorised, adding to the film’s artificial feel.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,580

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